California Lyrics

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#From: spxhaw@thor.cf.ac.uk (Howard Wright \(Hman\))
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# California - Joni Mitchell
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From the album 'Blue'
spxhaw@uk.ac.cf.thor
The original has a dulcimer part playing the intro, and playing chords in
the main part of the song. I've tabbed the dulcimer intro bit for guitar
using an alternative tuning. For the main part of the song, the acoustic
(using normal tuning) dominates; I've written out chord shapes ( and a bit
of tab) for this, as well as shapes for the 'dulcimer' part.
The original acoustic part adds a few noodles on top of the basic chords
(mostly sus4 and sus2 type of things). I've tried to include a few of these,
but I havn't tried to TAB note for note what is played.
The acoustic part is played with a capo at the 3rd fret, so when I
write D I mean play a D shape above the 3rd fret. (The actual
chord would be F)
OK ?
To play the dulcimer part, tune to : F Bb D A C F (no capo used)
Low E up to F
A up to Bb
D - same
G up to A
B up to C
E up to F
h - hammer on
p - pull off
/ - slide
INTRO :
C---4h5p4-0---0--2---2-2---2---2-----0----4---4-----0---0-0---0-0-------2--2--
VERSE 1:
Sitting in a park in Paris France
Reading the news and it sure looks bad
They won't give peace a chance
That was just a dream some of us had
Still a lot of lands to see
But I wouldn't want to stay here
It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here
CHORUS:
Ah but California
California I'm coming home
I'm gonna see the folks I dig
I'll even kiss a sunset pig
California I'm coming home
s4
E--0h2p0--------2---2--0----------2---3---2-----------------
VERSE 2:
I met a redneck on a Grecian isle
We did the goat dance very well
He gave me back my smile
But he kept my camera to sell
Oh the rogue, the red red rogue
He cooked good omelettes and stews
And I might have stayed on with him there
But my heart cried out for you
CHORUS:
California
Oh California I'm coming home
Oh make me feel good rock and roll band
I'm your biggest fan
California I'm coming home
E--0h2p0--------2---2--0-----2----2---3---2-----------
MIDDLE 8:
Oh it gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read just give you the blues
Just give you the blues
VERSE 3:
(For the standard tuning acoustic, use the G,E7 and A shapes which are
higher up the neck - I've marked them below with a '*' )
So I bought me a ticket I caught a plane to Spain
Went to a party down a red dirt road
There were lots of pretty people there
Reading Rolling Stone reading Vogue
They said how long can you hang around
I said a week maybe two
Just until my skin turns brown
And then I'm going home
CHORUS:
To California
California
I'm coming home
Oh will you take me as I am
Strung out on another man
California I'm coming home
E--0h2p0--------2---2--0-----2----2---3---2-----------
Oh it gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
More about the war and the bloody changes
Oh will you take me as I am
Will you take me as I am
Will you, will you take me as I am
Mmmmmmmmm
Take me as I am ......
Chord Shapes :
REMEMBER - these are capoed at the 3rd fret
C A7sus4 G/A Em/A B7/F# E7*
Alternative tuning (Dulcimer part)
Just to keep things simple I'll keep the same chord names as for
the standard tuning guitar part. In actual fact, the dulcimer chords
are all in F, but since the acoustic guitar is played in D with
a capo on the 3rd fret, it's also effectively playing in F, although
all the chord names are written in D. So to make it easy (I hope!)
I'll write all the chords as though it were in D.
If you can't understand what the fuck I'm on about, mail me and I'll try
to explain.
I havn't tabbed all the chords, but these are the basic ones.
(I'll write 'b' for the Bb string to save space)